City selects artist Ted Fullerton to design new public art

Guelph, On, January 22, 2014 – Guelph’s Civic Precinct will soon be home to a new public art installation.

Earlier this month, the City of Guelph commissioned Ted Fullerton, a celebrated Canadian artist, to create four sculptures for the open space bordered by Wilson, Carden, and Farquhar streets.

Fullerton’s art will create unity between City Hall, Market Square, Guelph Central Station and the Guelph Farmer’s Market building. The four sculptures—Birds of a Feather, A Bird in Hand, Bird/Watching, and Perch—will establish a sightline for individuals to engage with the installation as they move along Carden Street.

“This is an exciting addition to the City’s public art collection,” says Sally Wismer, chair of the Public Art Committee. “Ted’s sculptures will create a playful link between the various areas of the Civic Precinct and contribute significantly to the animation of this space.”

Last summer, the City invited experienced, individual artists, or teams, to apply for the opportunity to create public artwork for the Civic Precinct. A citizen-appointed Public Art Selection Panel reviewed 16 applications and short-listed three artists, including Fullerton, who were asked to submit formal proposals.

The total budget for the art project is $150,000, approved by City Council through the 2013 capital budget process. This is the first piece to be commissioned through the City’s new Public Art Policy, and is being coordinated by the Public Art Committee, a subcommittee of the Council-appointed Cultural Advisory Committee. Installation is scheduled to be completed by July.

About Ted Fullerton

Ted Fullerton is an acclaimed artist who works in contemporary painting, printmaking and sculpture. He has achieved numerous awards such as the Juror’s Award in the CIM Centennial Art Competition and the Boston Printmaker’s Juried Exhibition award. He has exhibited his work across Canada, England, Australia, Spain, and Yugoslavia. Locally, Fullerton’s work can be seen at the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Sculpture Park in Guelph, and at the Benton and Charles Street municipal parking garage in Kitchener. Fullerton lives in Tottenham, Ont., and is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art. To view his work, visit tedfullerton.net.

About the Public Art Selection Panel

Panel members included Janet Rosenberg, founding partner of Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc. (designer of Market Square); John Kissick, professor and director of the School of Fine Arts and Music, University of Guelph; and Shawn Van Sluys, executive director of the Musagetes Foundation.